Zael. The capital city of Sar'tu, where milk flows like honey and the water is clean and pure. As the richest city-state in the country, most people think it to be an ideal place to live. But there are slums here too, and a corruption unlike any monarch has ever had to deal with. The Parliament controls the government, which controls the people. The people look up to the reigning King, but they all know the truth. Monarch Zael vi Kinsley VII is merely a puppet, the strings controlled by the Parliament.

So when the rise of a new king began to reach the ears of the people of Sar'tu, they were expecting someone from the northern continent of Shamek, where they were from. But when they heard that he was from the south, Kiers, they began to turn a deaf ear and a blind eye towards the supposed "new monarch."

That all changed when the current protector and spymaster of Monach Kinsley VII, Zekai Storm, denounced her loyalty to the king and placed it in the hands of the new monarch. The details behind this story are known only to few, though there is speculation and rumor.

Currently the Prodigal King and his subject tour the capital city, looking for an appropriate place to begin the speech. Through the large, wooden gates that only open outward, and into the city beyond, the two walk past the guards without them knowing who it was they allowed into the city. The city is alight with decorations colored red, blue, green, gold, and silver. Balloons dangle from street lamps that illuminate the smooth, cobblestone road. From the clay and brick buildings hang all sorts of ribbons and wreaths.

Of course, how could anyone forget this day? It is the day that the current government of Sar'tu was founded, 150 years past. 50 years of peace were followed with 100 years of war, but the people could never forget how long their current monarchy lasted. Far more years than any other attempt at a civilized government. The day of the Founding Festival is an occasion to celebrate not only that, but also the extreme diversity of the nation. Even in the city, you never know what kind of person is going to walk by next. Men and women and children of all colors, styles, and traditions greet you happily on this special day, with no discrimination.

"One could almost say that this is the only day that the nation is truly united," the Prodigal King, Ellard von Rekaen I, says out loud. Many others around him hear what he is saying, and no there is no turning back. Even Zekai Storm prepares herself now to hear the same speech the Prodigal King gives in every city. And what better place in Zael than by the great fountain in the center of the city? It, too, is adorned with orbs and ribbons of varying colors, the water that spews out of the naked angel-child glimmering in the moonlight. The plaza is surrounded by multiple carriage vendors, there specifically for the festival. Little do they know the little bonus for picking the spots they chose.

"Hear me, people of Zael!" The king booms from his perch. At least, people think he must be standing on something, how else could he tower over all of them? No, he stands only on his two feet, an imposing figure almost two meters tall. He looks even taller standing next to the short, wiry figure of Zekai Storm, who commonly calls herself Zekki. "Too long have you allowed this monarchy to go unchecked, unchallenged! Our state in the war is turning bleak, and the government continues to extort lives and money from their rightful owners through the draft and ridiculous taxes! I am here today to tell you of great news. I, Ellard von Rekaen, am here to rise as your new king, and banish the corrupt fools that reside in our Parliament! I preach for equal protection under the law, and equality under the sun and the moon. I will unify our great nations, and together we can conquer the other nations. But! There are some who oppose my will, who say that we cannot unify our nation. I disagree!"

The prodigal king reaches into his coat pocket, and pulls out a small, red seed. He holds it up, granting everyone nearby the ability to look at the tiny seed, no larger than a mustard seed. At that very moment, something in the air pulses, and the light from the street lamps brighten. The source of this immense pressure, there was no way it could be from that tiny little seed, right?

"This is the Seed of Strength! It grants power to our nation, but it only reaches true potential under a unified country!" Ellard glanced around at the crowd once, then pocketed the seed. The pressure that everyone felt suddenly vanished as soon as the seed was out of sight. "I am searching for members of my Royal Guard. This is Zekai Storm, the previous guardian and spymaster of our so-called monarch. Listen to her and decide for yourselves what decision you wish to make!"

Zekki stepped forward, Ellard took a seat on the fountain to allow attention to drift to Zekai. Next to Ellard, she had been merely a follower, almost a nobody. But now that the impressionable stature of the prodigal king was out of mind, the observers could truly examine her. Zekai had beautiful red hair, short, but with a long tail that reached down to her calves. Sharp, electric-blue eyes darted around her, watching every movement that the individuals in the crowd made. Nothing escaped her hawk-like gaze. She wore a white and blue jacket that covered most of her undergear, except in the front. It was a black one-piece that reached down to only her thighs. Zekki also wore black boots that rose to above her knees, and had two belts around each boot, each with a small knife in a sheath. She was truly a beauty, and when she opened her mouth to speak, her voice was just as sharp as her eyes and as colorful as her hair.

"I am Zekai Storm," she said. "It is true that I used to be the spymaster for our current monarch. That was three years ago, before corruption stole his mind. He broke his vow to me, and when my new king asked for an audience with me, I was swayed to join him and his cause. We seek to unify, not to destroy. Do not believe the rumors and exaggerated stories of the corrupt politicians!"

Zekki didn't speak any more, she merely let her words hang in the crowd's conscience and took a few steps back, to rejoin her king.

"Hey you! You're not allowed in here! Only the king may give or authorize speeches!" A group of soldiers push aside the bystanders and walk into the clearing with Zekki and Ellard facing them. Zekki immediately positions herself in front of the king, throwing up her dagger and catching it in her left hand. The soldiers were armored head-to-toe, and her little butter knife seemed to pale in comparison to their much larger, stronger swords of iron. But she did not seem at all deterred. In face, she looked like she was enjoying herself.

Two more soldiers approached from behind the other three, dressed entirely in robes with sapphire jewels embedded in their robes. These were part of the king's mage circle that often accompanied the heavily-dressed soldiers to help them out.

Though they were heavily outnumbered, Zekai and Ellard both seemed fine, in terms of being nervous. Perhaps it was because of Ellard's imposing figure that gave Zekai strength. Or perhaps it was the enormous sword that he hefted onto his shoulder, the blade glinting maliciously in the moonlight.

The young mage was fuming. "Can't believe him." he growled, his irritated expression covered by a large, pointy hat atop his head. "Leaving me stranded." he muttered darkly, kicking a nearby wall with a rather great amount of force. He ignored the pain that shot up his foot. He was far to angry with a certain gambler to even notice even a minor amount of pain. "Asshole." He had every right to be angry. Cage not following him through the portal to wherever the hell the mage was now was inexcusable. It had been the gambler's idea to go 'abroad' in the first place. "Better watch his back, I get my hands on him he's gonna be real fucking sorry." the mage seethed, a very obvious air of malice expressing itself in a fiery aura that followed him wherever he went.

Nic was in the middle of deciding just what to take out his anger on when he heard someone start speaking of unity and defeating corruption. He halted immediately, his scowl intensifying. Yeah, that was just what he needed at the moment. The mage's eyes shot up and landed on the man speaking. The mage had nothing against taking out the speaker; such hopeful babble about a sugary world of peace and love made the mage sick to his stomach. The speech lasted only a few moments, which was very fortunate for the man and his apparent accomplice–any longer and Nic would have at least chucked a fireball in his direction.

The sudden turn of events that followed the speech, however, caused the mage to smirk. "Soldiers, huh?" Now there was an outlet for his anger. Nic weaved his way through the crowd of people, saying nothing as he came to a stop next to the speaker. He merely focused his eyes on the soldiers at hand; he would have a lot of fun with them. Yes... yes, he would.

There she sat, knees crossed, atop her little stool which she carried wherever her whimsy might've taken her. On that day, the young artist, Elexis Quinn, propped her simple-birch stool on the cobblestone street of the city of Zael, appropriately close enough to the fountain in order to cool the heat that the celebrating commoners had brought with them, but far away enough to not ruin her work with the drops of some dumb ol' fountain.

With her trusty palette and brush, dotted with drops of red, blue, green, gold, and silver, Elexis turned her gaze toward the new arrival, supposed "monarch" of the kingdom.

This guy's got quite the pluck. It'd be shameful to sit'n watch the government snag 'em from me so easily.

She squinted as she garnered a closer look at the young king, who stood approximately six feet tall, perhaps a little more or less. He had quite the structure, and Elexis liked structure.

Ol' Ellary, you ain't going nowhere. Not if I have anything to say about it.

As the speech by this man who wished for unity and ridding corruption was given, a figure who stood among the crowds chuckled. It was amusing to see these kinds of people hanging onto the naive ideals that humans could ever achieve true unity and banish corruption. It was an impossible feat for human beings will always be the same, there will always be corruption no matter what. It's simply part of human nature.

Nevertheless Nortrom approached the one who gave the speech just as the soldiers arrived. As pointless as their endeavor may be the Magus was intrigued by these two individuals who wished for change. He wondered just how long they would cling to their unobtainable goal until they realized the futility of it all.

"I thank you brave souls for your assistance and your dedication," Ellard boomed in that might voice of his, "Soon the world will know the strength that comes with unity!" The prodigal king's voice seemed to hold even more power this time, an unseen pressure emanating from his words. It seemed to empower those around him, giving them an odd sort of strength and speed of spirit. Zekai knew that Ellard's voice held power, it was the Seed of Strength that gave him so much authority over his own voice.

Zekki remained silent as others joined their side, gathering around them. She also sensed someone else, further away. Was that one trying to help as well, or just trying to get a closer look? Regardless, Zekki would have to be careful not to let anyone interfere with her goals. The moment one of these people turned on them, she would kill them where they stand, regardless of age or power.

Zekki placed her hand on the ground, where her shadow lay, and then threw her arm over herself. The shadow on the ground seemed to follow and cover Zekki's entire body, masking her in a cloud of dust and blackness. She had become one with the shadows, and now began sneaking around to catch one of the mages off guard. That was her real target now, the mages. She would destroy them before they had a chance to even know she existed.

Nic ignored the man and his one-track unity comment–he ignored everything. His focus remained solely on the nearest soldier, not faltering in the slightest as he took several steps forward. He came to halt, eyes sharpening on his target, throwing his long brown hair behind himself. "Burn." he muttered vehemently, holding his hand outstretched just slightly and willing fire mana to collect. A small flicker of flame appeared in front of him, only to fade as he made an uppercut motion. Flames suddenly burst up from the ground beneath the soldier's feet, a strange green tint to them.

It'd been quite a while since Elexis had last stroked her brush across a canvas, her tongue gently lining her lips in anticipation; her eyes lay unto the young assassin who stood before ol' Ellary, irises piqued with interest. With haste, yet with careful desire to mirror her imagination unto her canvas flawlessly, Elexis conjured an image of a pair of fists, gently curled across one another, embroidered with streaks of white paint. With the whisper of a spell at the command of Elexis's lip, the stream of whispering white paint flew off of the canvas and slithered to the young assassin's hands, caressing them with the power of wind.

Nortrom took only two steps forward. Those two steps were all he needed. He was well aware of the limits of his powers, and thus he positioned himself where the enemy was exactly within his range. Not an inch too close nor too far. Then he opened his ancient tome which was now floating in front of him. Though he had long since memorized all of his incantations Nortrom still liked to have the tome as a medium for channeling his power. After all there was no need to use excessive energy if one could conserve that energy for later use.

Silently reciting the incantation to channel the spirit of lightning in his head, the pages of the levitating tome flipped and three violet orbs flew out and circled around Nortrom. Each of the orbs showed an electrical current running through them from time to time, sometimes the current flew into Nortrom's body. However it didn't seem to harm him. The Magus pointed his right index finger at one of the soldiers. Zap, zap, zap, zap! From the tip of his finger lightning shot out at the soldier, striking three times consecutively.

Kyle saw how his partners were being attacked, though no expression could be seen through his helm. He was angered, and stamped his foot on the ground. "From your responses and your actions, I hereby declare you enemies of the King! Arrest them!" He said this while pointing his iron sword at the group.

Kyle waits.

Catherine moves to E-4.

"How dare you attack me, filthy old man!" Catherine growled, her voice angry and poisonous. "You're under arrest for assaulting a soldier of the King's army." Catherine raised her sword, poised for attack, and thrust forward, stabbing the old mage. She then drew her sword back and slashed again, aiming for the mage's exposed arms.

James felt the attack, and nearly gagged from the pain. The fire seemed to cause some sort of chemical reaction in his body that he didn't agree with. He could feel his life force ebbing away, as it it were being leeched by his own soul. It was a horrifying experience, and the one who cast it was right in front of him. James moved forward without a word, he was always the silent anger type. He grabbed the magician's head, and slammed it down on the ground, causing the man to see stars.

"Hm! Well said, but I think you fools are forgetting one important thing," Ellard boomed, his arms crossed over his chest. Ellard took a few steps forward, clasping his hand on the soldier that threw Nic to the ground on his head. "I am the one who will become the king. Lay down your weapons or face the wrath of a true king." Though he said this, Ellard grabbed the hilt of his giant sword and swung it down with all his might, cleaving the soldier. Then, he switched his handle on the sword, and swung upward, cleaving up the same way he went down.

Ellard moves to D-5

Ellard attacks James! 6 Atk DMG! Also deals 1 True Damage!

Ellard attack James! 6 Atk DMG! Also deals 1 True Damage!

EN: 33/50

This was it. The enemy showed a weak point in their formation. The very fact that they made such an obvious formation to handle threats almost made Zekki cry. But that would give away her position. They didn't even seem to notice she disappeared, which made Zekki want to cry even more, but she didn't. Their inability to observe and their strictness with order and strategy would be their downfall.

Zekki sneaked forward, approaching one of the mages. She would end her life before she even knew she was being killed. That was how Zekki worked. A spymaster never let her prey know she was stalking them. When she was right up next to the mage, Zekki reached around and slashed her throat, instantly ending her life.

Nic's hand flew to his face as he pulled himself up. He pinched the bridge of his nose, but the action did nothing to help the pounding going on in his skull. "Fucker!" he growled having wanted to say more, but was ultimately unable to form anything other than a one word curse. "Cocksucking bastard!" Okay, more than one word. His occupied hand left his nose, and he merely slapped the knight before stumbling away. He couldn't do much else really.

Elexis's eyes seemed to shine a rainbowish resplendency amidst the crowd by the fountain; even her hair shone a brain radiance unseen in other people. Her attire, particularly capable of attracting attention even from its revealing and promiscuous nature, was technicolor. She set her eyes -- one sapphire, while the other was ruby -- upon the middle-aged wizard and proceeded to replicate her previous drawing, allowing it to zoom right off of her canvas and into the air, where it zipped along the skies and wrapped itself around the man's knuckles.

Elexis grinned; her work had been done, and now all she needed to do was wait.

He seemed to have evoked a sense of anger in the female soldier he had just struck with lightning. Humans were so easily agitated; especially that young mage who appeared to be, for the moment, his ally against these soldiers. The soldier losing her temper is one thing, but the mage and his crude demeanor was a different story. Though Notrom's facial expression did not change in the slightest he was thoroughly amused.

He pointed his finger at the angered soldier in front of him, and again she was struck by lightning. This time an extra bolt came through, which Nortrom could only assume was due to the enhancement magic he felt around his hands.

"Halt!" the lead soldier commanded, drawing forward, his sword unsheathed and poised to strike. He stopped in front of the prodigal king, who towered over him. Undaunted by the other's superior height, Kyle stood up against the prodigal king. "You're all under arrest, and since you are resisting, we will take you by force and throw you into the dungeons. You will rot there." With that declared, Kyle slashed away at the king.

Kyle attacks Ellard! 6 Atk DMG!

"You're not getting away!" James shouted, chasing after the running mage. He raised his sword again and slashed through the mage's chest, then cut up through his legs, attempting to immobilize the magician.

Catherine gasped, the magic she suffered through tearing through her armor like it was parchment. It may as well have been, considering how the old man was attacking her. Meanwhile their leader wasn't even giving this his all. That really pissed her off. She stepped forward, a dangerous glint in her eyes as she slashed down upon the old mage with all her might.

Catherine moves to D-4

Catherine attacks Nortrom! 12 Atk DMG!

Nortrom loses 3 EN!

Adrie activates her S-Ability: Empower!

Adrie was just as surprised as anyone else to see the assassin reveal herself and utterly decimate the other mage beside her. She was so shocked, in fact, that she automatically activated her empower ability. The magic would take awhile to channel, which was a good thing, there was no waste, but she needed that magic right now, because the assassin was looking right at her. She waved her staff through the air, casting a simple magic to cause the light near the assassin's eyes to suddenly brighten.

Zekki acted first this time, dashing forward with haste to catch up with the mage. She felt her energy decreasing rapidly, she couldn't keep this up for long. She was never meant to sustain damage in battle, but she wanted to get the last few hits that she could in before taking a rest. Three slashes of her dagger were all she could muster, but even that was enough to seriously injure the mage she targeted.

Zekki moves to G-4

Zekki attacks Adrie! 8 Atk DMG! 3 hits!

EN: 3/50

"Perfect! Good work, loyal Zekai!" Ellard boomed, grinning at his pet assassin as she knocked the mage around. He reached behind his back and pulled out a long, spear-like object that had a flag attached to the end of it. With a mighty hurl, he threw it towards the mage, impaling her through the heart and slamming her body to the ground, piercing it there and locking the flag in place.

Ellard uses Flag Spike! 8 Atk DMG! Does 1 bonus True Damage!

MP: 1/20EN: 24/50

Last edited by Zerifachias on Fri Dec 28, 2012 4:21 pm; edited 1 time in total

His head still hurt. To make matters worse, the damn soldier decided to chase after him and continue his assault. Unable to form a coherent sentence he merely sent a death glare in James' direction. This man was so lucky he managed to knock a little sense out of him. He'd be dead otherwise. "Asshole." he muttered darkly, using his other hand once again, this time slapping him not once but twice.

Nortrom had not expected it but one of his attacks flew to the side and struck the ground near the soldier. He wasn't quite as concentrated as he should have been, apparently. And he paid for that misfire. The soldier somehow suddenly gained a burst of strength and Nortrom felt that last hit. It was more painful than both those earlier hits combined. However he did not utter a word, nor make any sort of sound, nor did he even wince from the pain. He simply sent one final attack in the soldier's direction, at this point after everything that soldier went though that one attack would leave her a lightning-charred corpse.

Elexis scowled as the shorter of the two mages spat words off his acetic tongue like vomit, "Quite a nasty color you've drawn yourself, there." The young artist remarked quietly as she sketched a rough, circular shape on her canvas, "Fortunately for you, I'm good with colors!" She flashed a grin as the circle became a sphere; the sphere, a bubble. It fluttered into the skies, growing larger and larger as it encompassed the mage's entire body.

It would help him for now. The strange tint of the bubble would also give his skin a temporarily pink pigment, but such trivial issues were to be discussed after the threats had been annihilated.

Kyle looked about as his soldiers and mages were dispatched by the enemy. He puffed up his chest and let out a grunt of disappointment. "Perhaps my men were not quite as strong as I thought. They shall be punished. As for your little group here, I have some sad news. Your deaths are at hand. At my hand."

Kyle activates his S-Ability: Soldier's Wrath!

Kyle attacks Ellard! 12 Atk DMG!

James also noticed that his comrades were being done in. The only ones left now were him and his commander. Chasing down this weak mage might not be the best use of his time right now, but he also knew that this mage was very low on health. The deep cuts on the mage's body were evidence of that. Still, there was more work to do before the mage really went down.

She had to rest. There was no way she could do anything in the state she was in now. Zekai held on tightly to her daggers and knelt on the ground, catching her breath. She used up so much energy in such a short amount of time. She had to figure out a way to use her energy more conservatively and efficiently. This wasn't going to work out for too much longer.

Zekki rests.

The prodigal king looked down at the soldier in front of him, the sword cutting through his flesh more easily now. But he did not move. Ellard von Rekaen I did not budge an inch, the attack hurting but not moving him. The king could not be swayed in this way. Instead of replying, however, the king turned around to face the soldier that was attacking the weakened mage. With a quick strike, followed by another, the king rent through the soldier's armor, denting the iron.

Nortrom was about to strike the soldier attacking the younger, much less emotionally controlled mage. However upon leaving his hand the electric current instantly fizzled, followed by a few coughs from the old Evoker. Those hits he had suffered from the female soldier seemed to have took quite the toll on him, or he wasn't quite as powerful as he used to be when he had been these kids' age, or perhaps both. Nortrom closed his eyes, going into meditation until his body and mind have been rejuvenated.